The people have spoken — at least, the people who cast ballots in an unofficial “Women on 20s” campaign — and more than 100,000 voters want to see Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill instead of Andrew Jackson.
Tubman, the abolitionist who helped free slaves on the Underground Railroad, on Tuesday was declared the winner of an online poll, part of a petition aimed at convincing the Treasury Department to put a new face on the $20 — and specifically a female one.
All U.S. paper money currently features the portraits of men.
Tubman narrowly edged out former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the final round of voting, with civil rights icon Rosa Parks rounding out third place.
The announcement drew cheers at one Laguna Beach, California, elementary school. “There are no words,” said fifth-grader London. “I was just too excited that I couldn’t breathe - I almost started crying,” she added.
A classmate added: “When you really think about it, there's a lot of famous women for a lot of different things, like the four candidates we had. And Tina Fey.”
The campaign, launched earlier this year, has gone viral online, and more than 600,000 people selected candidates during two rounds of voting, with the visitors from all 50 states checking out the website.
The “Women on 20s” movement hopes to put pressure on President Obama to change U.S. currency, though it’s ultimately up to the Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to make the call.
A spokesperson for the Treasury told NBC News Tuesday, “There are a number of interesting currency ideas, but we do not have any comment on the specific campaign.”
The founders of the campaign hope to put a woman's portrait on the $20 by 2020 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women gaining voting rights in the United States.
